Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner which continues driving with a deteriorated gas leakage sensor is provided. An air conditioner of the present invention includes an outdoor unit including a compressor and an indoor unit connected with the outdoor unit and uses flammable refrigerant. The air conditioner includes: a refrigerant gas sensor; and a controlling unit configured to stop the compressor at occurrence of abnormality, when the refrigerant gas sensor detects refrigerant gas while the compressor is being driven. After the compressor is stopped as the refrigerant gas sensor detects the refrigerant gas, the controlling unit does not start driving of the compressor until an operation to cancel the abnormality is performed.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An air conditioner which includes:
 an outdoor unit including a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; and 
 an indoor unit connected with the outdoor unit and including an indoor heat exchanger, 
 the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger connected with each other via pipes to form a refrigerant circuit wherein flammable refrigerant circulates, 
 the air conditioner comprising:
 a refrigerant gas sensor configured to contact gas of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant circuit so as to detect the leakage, the refrigerant gas sensor being disposed in the indoor unit at a position separated from the refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant gas sensor is configured to be deteriorated due to contact with high-density refrigerant; 
 a controlling unit electrically connected to the compressor and the refrigerant gas sensor, wherein 
 
 the controlling unit is configured to:
 determine whether the leakage has occurred or not, based on a result of detection by the refrigerant gas sensor; 
 stop the compressor upon determining that the leakage has occurred; and 
 after the compressor is stopped, not start driving of the compressor until a first operation indicating that the refrigerant gas sensor has been replaced is performed; 
 a controller electrically connected to the controlling unit and configured to:
 receive the first operation, performed by persons, and a second operation indicating start of driving of the air conditioner; and 
 send first content corresponding to the first operation and second content corresponding to the second operation to the controlling unit, 
 
 
 wherein the controlling unit is further configured to:
 after the compressor has stopped upon determining that the leakage has occurred, determine whether the first content is received from the controller; 
 upon determining that the first content is received from the controller, further determine whether the second content is received from the controller; and 
 start driving of the air conditioner upon determining that the second content has been received from the controller after receiving the first content from the controller. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a notification unit electrically connected to the controlling unit and configured to perform notification that the leakage has occurred, wherein 
 the controlling unit is configured to:
 control the notification unit to perform the notification upon determining that the leakage has occurred; and 
 after the notification is performed, control the notification unit to continue the notification until the first operation is performed.